Coping With the First Days of a New Job

Coping With the First Days of a New Job

Bare BonesAn IT employee spent his first day staring at his office walls. There was no computer, and he wasn’t given anything to do.

Let's face it: The dreaded first day of any job is something to endure, not enjoy. Even the most highly qualified professionals will feel nervous, unproven and intimidated. It's common to develop fear-of-failure syndrome: a sense of panic over self-perceived notions that you'll never measure up. Then, there are the initial workplace routines that every newbie has to deal with: You'll likely have a mountain of forms to fill out. You'll get your first sense of what your supervisors will really be like (compared with how they acted during the job interview). And you'll need to bring yourself up to speed quickly on day-to-day matters such as where you'll eat lunch, what time you should show up and leave, your office surroundings, and whether any co-workers situated near your location have personality or hygiene issues. Regardless of how your worst ever "first day" went, you should take comfort in the fact that it probably wasn't as bad as the five disasters presented below from CareerBliss, a job-information hub that dispenses job advice and resources. As a bonus, the experts at Quintcareers.com present 10 best practices to help you avoid a disaster on your first day—and beyond.